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Choosing a class
Also see: * Quick Summary of Each Class for another overview of classes. * Class for links to detailed info and specific race and faction requirements. * Per Class Proficiencies for info on weapons and armor availability and limitations. = Choosing a Class = All classes in the World of Warcraft are versatile, but each one has different roles in which it excels. It helps to choose a class based on the role you think you will enjoy playing. Classes can be roughly categorized by whether they are front line or support, whether they are best at melee (close) or ranged combat, and how easily they can be played solo (without needing to be part of a group for enjoyable play). The lines are not always clear-cut; for example, support classes can still be defined as primarily melee or ranged for the damage output they do, even though damage is not necessarily their strong point. There is significant overlap in abilities between different classes. Still, each does have its strong points, as outlined below. Melee Classes A melee class excels at close-range combat, dealing heavy amounts of damage to the enemy (and likely taking quite a bit as well). Melee fighters don't rely on spells and ranged attacks to the extent that ranged classes do, and therefore must maintain a close proximity to the enemy in order to be effective. A melee class will be most enjoyable if you enjoy "in your face" action and fast tactical thinking. With the exception of the Paladin, melee classes are unable to heal themselves and so spend time building up the First Aid skill. First Aid reduces down time while playing solo and can often be of use in extended group combat. Warrior The Warrior is the toughest melee class. Warriors can both inflict and withstand a tremendous amount of damage. The signature role for a warrior is tanking in PvE (player versus environment) play. They have many tools available to draw the enemy's fire, and their use of plate armor and shields allows them to survive the significant amount of damage that predictably results. For this combination warriors are highly valued by groups. Having at least one warrior to play the role of main tank is considered essential in many circumstances, particularly in instances and at higher levels. The role of a tank is somewhat counterintuitive to new players; though it involves being on the front line, it does not normally involve doing the most damage to the enemy. If you want to be at the top of the damage-per-second list at the end of a fight, the warrior is probably not the best class for you. It is better suited for players who enjoy tactical thinking, crowd control, and the concept of "the captain goes down with the ship". With experience the value of a tank becomes clear, and a warrior that learns the art of tanking well will always be in high demand. Warriors are able to play solo well. They need the aid of potions, food and bandages, but these resources are usually in ample supply. Because warriors use rage -- which is built up during combat -- instead of mana or energy, there is relatively little downtime between fights. In player versus player (PvP) play, warriors can experience difficulty due to their reliance on close range combat. They can find themselves immobilized while ranged classes wear down their health from afar. PvP is more difficult for all classes, however, and the warrior can certainly be an enjoyable PvP class. In particular a warrior's Fury attacks can be very effective. Warriors are either helped or hindered by the quality of their gear (equipment). A poorly outfitted warrior is easily outmatched, while -geared warriors are considered one of the most dangerous opponents in the game. Shopping, crafting, and planning can be important to warriors when it comes to their equipment. If you enjoy this aspect of the game you will find the warrior to be a rewarding class. Rogue Rogues are arguably the class which can cause the most damage in the game, and they are frequently found at the top of damage-monitoring mods during endgame raids. Stealth is the rogue's best friend. Several of the rogue's abilites that cause significant damage require the rogue to be in Stealth when using the attack. Rogues suffer from the same basic difficulty that warriors do, close proximity combat to be effective. While they can take less damage than warriors, their Stealth often allows them to close in on their opponents without being attacked. Another aspect of rogues is the idea of Stun Lock. They have a vast number of skills available to them which allow them to stun repeatedly, and in many cases, kill the opponent without the other ever moving an inch! Ranged Classes Ranged classes are, obviously, the exact opposite of Melee classes, in that they rely on keeping as much distance as possible between them and their targets as they do damage. Like Melee classes, aside from an ability by Warlocks (healthstone), Ranged classes do not have the ability to heal themselves, and also opt to train in First Aid for leveling purposes. The primary concern from Ranged classes is their reliance on usage of armor with lower protection, such as Cloth or Leather, except for the Hunter who, at 40, can train to use Mail armor. Hunter Considered by many to be the most popular ranged class in the game, Hunters use a great mixture of special ranged attacks to affect their target in order to keep range and continue damage. Once a target is in melee range, hunters can use the assistance of their pet or weapons that cause greater damage than those of their ranged counterparts (mages and warlocks typically use Staves or certain endgame swords/daggers). Hunters also use a tamed pet to tank and assist in damage against their targets such that for some classes it can be difficult to decide which to attack first, since it can sometimes seem like a pet is almost the same as another player. Similiar to rogues, hunters also have an ability to lose the aggression from NPC enemies (mobs) with an ability, Feign Death, to escape from combat. They also have the Hunter's Mark to mark an opponent to attack, and a Freezing Trap to slow down enemies. Because of this, hunters are considered the best pullers in a party. Hunters also occasionally have issues with inventory space, as many hunters choose to carry a quiver or ammo pouch to increase their ranged attack speed, sacrificing one out of their five bag slots. Mage Mages are the ranged combat equivalent to rogues, and are known as causing arguably the most up front damage in the game depending on which specification the mage chooses to use. Primarily, mages are famous for their Area of Effect spells, such as Blizzard or Arcane Explosion, that cause damage to several enemies all at the same time. Mages are also very popular for their ability to open Portals for their party to use to travel to a capital city (Orgrimmar, Ironforge, etc.), and their ability to conjure water and food to assist in faster regeneration of Mana and Health during down time. Many mages will focus on either Ice or Fire damage, and while Ice Mages (sometimes called "Frost Mages") have higher survivability, their damge typically doesn't equate the damage caused by Fire Mages. As mentioned above, the mages' greatest weakness is their reliance on mana, except later on when they learn a spell which quickly regenerates mana but has a very long cooldown, and the use of Cloth armor and inability to cause significant damage with melee weapons. Warlock The Warlock is one of the more eccentric classes in the game. Warlocks are very similar to Mages, except they have a Demon pet, and primarily use Damage over Time spells instead of Area of Effect spells, even though most classes have a little bit of both. Warlocks can approach Mages and Rogues in DPS potential, and their Soulstone spell is considered vital to some raids to prevent the members from having to start at the beginning of an encounter once the entire party has died. They are also highly valued for getting raids together more quickly with their Ritual of Summoning spell. Warlocks can specialize in many different ways, one of which allows them to become the toughest cloth class in the game, though at the expense of their damage. Warlocks have problems with inventory space similar to Hunters due to Soul Shards, which drop off of enemies that grant experience; without these, a Warlock cannot use many abilities that can be considered key to the class and most Warlocks carry a dedicated bag for them called a Soul Bag. Support Classes Support classes can fall into either Ranged or Melee classes, but because of their ability cast healing spells, they are generally called upon for this reason instead of their damage dealing potential. Even though these classes are proficient healers, they are also proficient in causing enough damage to retain the ability to solo level (but their effectiveness can vary based on talent spec). Some players also believe that these classes have the ability to solo much more efficiently than the damage dealing classes, but this subject is, like many other things in World of Warcraft, a topic of heavy debate. Paladin Paladins are arguably the strongest supportive class in the game, though not necessarily the best healers. Unlike the Priest and Druid, the main supportive strength of a Paladin is based on his wide variety buffs, supportive spells and auras. The Paladin's buffs are powerful and efficient, but still very cheap thanks to their short duration, making them as useful on the battlegrounds as they are in instances. While other classes have two or three buffs at most, the Paladin can have as many as nine, though he can apply only one at a time. His auras allow the Paladin to give both himself and his party members a (usually defensive) benefit, like extra armor or spell resistance. Switching between auras is free, allowing the Paladin to change auras based on the situation. Unlike the other support classes, the Paladin does his damage almost exclusively through melee. While this is a very mana-efficient way of doing DPS, the Paladin cannot reach the damage potential of the other support classes, giving the Paladin the title of lowest DPS class in the game. However, his ability to wear plate armor, heal and become invulnerable for a short amount of time also makes him one of the toughest classes around. Paladins are usually an Alliance specific class, but the Blood Elves (Horde) will be allowed to play the class in the the Burning Crusade expansion. Priest Much like a Warrior, the presence of a Priest is considered vital to the success of a party. There is very little argument among veteran players that the Priest is the most efficient healer in the game. The Priest also possesses a popular buff that increases a target's Stamina (Power Word: Fortitude). Contrary to popular belief, the Priest is not just a healer. In Shadowform, Priests can cause very high damage that rivals many of the ranged classes, and often exceeds them in terms of efficiency; shadow talents to increase damage output is factored in after +dmg from gear is added in, as a result allowing them to scale with gear like no other class in the game. The Priest might only be able to wear Cloth armor, but they have a spell named Power Word: Shield which absorbs damage and Inner Fire which improves armor greatly, and some Priests have Shadowform to reduce damage even more. Although they can't use Holy spells in Shadowform, they can use a special debuff called Vampiric Embrace to heal themselves based on the amount of Shadow damage they do. Druid Many veterans consider Druids to be the only absolute Hybrid class in the game, as they can learn forms which allow them to become a Bear (Warrior-like), a Cat (Rogue-like) or Moonkin (Mage-like) that give them skills that simulate a base class. Druids receive a Travel Form at level 30 that allows them to run away quickly without getting dismounted as they might with a mount. In their normal form, they are exceptional healers second only to Priests. In the Druid community, it is believed that if a Druid obtains the correct equipment and uses the correct talents, they can very nearly rival the primary of any class for which they supplement. Druids can train in several melee weapons, but many use Staves to increase spell stats, unless the Druid chooses to focus on their feral forms. They cannot wield any ranged weapons, but isn't needed in any case as they have various innate skills which allow them to attack from afar. And while Druids can only wear Leather armor, this is offset by their Bear and Moonkin forms, which increase their armor greatly. While Druids cannot parry or block attacks, their high armor and hit points allow them to become as tough as a plate-wearing Warrior or Paladin (with the proper gear and talents). Druids are also prized in parties for their Innervate and Mark of the Wild spells, making them some of the best buffers in the game alongside the Paladin. Druids also are the only class to get a resurrection spell which may be used in combat, Rebirth. Shaman Shamans are an offensive hybrid class known for their high damage and totems. They can wield most melee weapons and shields, cast numerous direct damage spells, cast healing spells, and buff themselves and their party with totems. In exchange for this versatility, they can only wear Leather armor until level 40 and Mail armor beyond that, and their heals and instant damage spells are among the least mana-efficient in the game. Compared to the Alliance's unique class, the Paladin, they have higher damage output but lack the survivability, have more powerful but less efficient heals, and have more ways to debuff enemies but are weaker in buffing allies. Shamans receive a fast travel form (Ghost Wolf) at level 20, have the ability to self-resurrect (Reincarnation) once an hour with a reagent, and can use "Astral Recall" to duplicate the effect of a Hearthstone. Shamans have a reputation for strength in PvP due to their damage and versatility; conversely, like all supporting classes, they are sometimes expected to play a limited healing-and-buffing role in level 60 raiding. Shaman are a usually Horde specific class, though they will be playable by Draenei (Alliance) characters when the Burning Crusade expansion comes out. Category:Classes Category:Gameplay